Argentine tax chief aims at fraud in player trades

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina’s tax chief says his agency has found more fraud in football: about 150 efforts to buy and sell players in ways that evade taxes and launder money.

Tax chief Ricardo Etchegary cites the case of Fernando Gago, who was transferred from the Spanish team Valencia to Argentina’s Boca Juniors. He also mentions Teofilo Gutierrez, a Colombian player sold by Mexico’s Cruz Azul to Argentina’s River Plate.

River coach Ramon Diaz says Gutierrez will miss this weekend’s game while he gets his papers in order.

Echegaray said Friday that many players are traded between three or more clubs to keep the countries involved from collecting taxes on million-dollar deals, but warns that countries now exchange tax information constantly, exposing criminal behavior.

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